Customer Reviews

The Gnats of Knotty Pine

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2 star:		(2)
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I am shocked at the nasty reviews of this book. Bill Peet is known for his environmentally friendly books and they're hardly "disguised", thinly or otherwise. Those who are looking for something else should seek out other authors (there are certainly a near limitless number of children's authors). I read this book when I was wee old and loved it as I loved his others (farewell to shady glade, whump world, etc.). I think Farewell to Shady Glade is the best, but this book is fun too. Do not overlook this book for fear of its "biased" view on hunting. The fact is, these hunters come to hunt the animals. In this book the animals have been anthropomorphosized (like many children's stories) and do not want to be killed. Let's face it, hunting, which is anyone's right within its legal bounds, is killing animals. Instead of passing judgement, be honest: some humans kill animals while hunting, for better or for worse. I'm sure most children, like myself now (and 20+ years ago as a child), eat dead animals, aka meat, and so can learn to appreciate how humans impact and interact with the world. I suppose the offended readers of this book would have preferred the animals to knowingly sacrifice some of themselves for the hunters' sport?! I don't know one child that would have read that plot line and not scratched their head. This book is a simple story about how knats, rejected by the animals for their annoying swarming, save the day, preventing the hunters from holding their hunt, by, ironically, swarming around the hunters. In the end the knats become the best friends of the animals because of how they helped the animals. That's it!

This was a really good book. I really enojoyed how heroic the Gnats were to protect the animals, even though the moose blew them away with his nose. It also gave me a sense of excitememnt when the hunters ran away from my hero the squirl.

This is cute and fun book. Some adults simply cannot comprehend that a four year old is not going to have this story read to them and then the first thing that pops into their head is "oh wow, a squirrel just pointed a gun at a man so i guess i can do it too, now where can i get a gun". Come on for goodness sake. They simply love the animals and the humor of the story. Now for the second thing. Some people or maybe hunters i should say are offended by Bill Peets portrayal of hunters. Well i have something to say to you. IT'S A KIDS BOOK. If your that easily offended i would hate to have a grown-up conversation with you for fear of my life. And just so you know I am a hunter also, so i certainly do not have a negetive oppinion about hunters. My point is that this is a good book as long as you can fight the urge to read between the lines and assume there are messages there that aren't. Read it to your kids, let them enjoy their innocence while it's there.

I loved Bill Peet books as a child, and I still really like them today. I recently bought the whole set so that my children will have them, and realized that I remember every character and every plot from 20+ years ago when my parents read them to me. They really made an impact on me. The illustrations are cute and captivating, the characters are engaging, the stories and well told, and each book has a meaning. There are few authors who can create such a fine balance in childrens' books.

"The Gnats of Knotty Pine" by Bill Peet is a popular children's book with a predictable story. The main theme as stated in the blurb is that it shows how "little people" can make a difference.

The basic story deals with a group of animals trying to decide how to stay safe for the opening day of hunting season. The big animals have various ideas and disagree. A swarm of gnats joins the group but they are ignored and chased away by the others. When the hunters arrive the next day, the gnats attack -- and win. The others realize that they were mistaken to ignore the gnats.

This basic message is a pretty good one for kids. A discerning reader might ask if there are any other messages contained in this book.

The main concern is the use of stereotypes in depicting the hunters. The illustrations show hunters as practically drooling as their jaws hang open, they wear hats with brims up, and the lead truck in the "convoy" has a license plate that reads "OGRES."

Some would say that stereotypes do not matter until children are older.

However, all the scholarly literature from psychologists and education professionals indicate that the use of stereotypes can make a difference. Although criticism of children's literature in various categories of stereotypes might be considered to be "overdone," numerous studies show that children's perceptions are formulated relatively early (from pre-school on) and most professionals discourage the use of stereotypes in various realms.

If one of our goals is for children to learn critical thinking and provide tools for rational argument, the use of stereotypes is not the way to go. (The studies are too numerous to mention here: See "The Meaning of Stereotypes" by James W. Rinehart, Theory into Practice, Vol. 2, No. 3, Intergroup-Relations Education (Jun., 1963), pp. 136-143...funded by the NIH).

I would not recommend this particular book for use with young children. Or if it is used with older children, you may want to engage in a further discussion about portraying people in a overly-simplistic and degrading way. Historical examples are quite prolific; and the benefit would be that children could learn to become wary of this popular technique, not only in literature, but in other media.

The purpose of any good review is to allow people from different points of view to know whether this would be a good choice for them or not. If the use of stereotypes in this manner is something that either doesn't bother you or you would actively support, then by all means read the book to your children. If you do agree with the professionals that stereotypes should be avoided whenever possible, handle with care.

I found this book to be wordy, uncreative and dull. As a mother of 5, I have read lots of children's books and usually enjoy a new one, but not this one. Very dull. I do not recomend this book and neither do my 6 and 3 year old.